Mirror, Mirror
by iheartgod175
Summary: She's a down-to-earth journalist who's got her eye on a good story-and fashion. He's a prisoner from four centuries past who's got his eye on freedom. She was grounded in the real world, while his story sounded like something out of a fantasy novel. But when their very different worlds collide, it'll cause quite a stir. Modern-day fantasy AU, and T.C./Trixie.
1. Part 1: Here We Go Again

**A/N:** Before I start, I just want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving me the idea for this story, and for showing me how to write it. You deserve all the praise and glory that this story receives! Amen!

Hey there, folks of the Top Cat fandom! This is iheartgod175, with a new story. I really need to get a Tumblr account or something.

This is a T.C./Trixie fic that was based off of a prompt I found on tumblr:

 _AU where Person A is trapped in a mirror for all of eternity, in one of those long oval full-body mirrors. For years and years this person has gone from house to house, seeing attractive people, watching them check themselves out and change and talk to themselves, but they never get to say or do anything, as it's a one-sided mirror, in a dark and quiet dimension. They just live on and on and on, going from place to place, time to time, person to person. One day, Person B purchases the mirror, and again it starts off. Person B posing and trying on clothes and being cute and sexy, Person A just laughing and watching while crying because they're stuck in there forever. One day, when Person A makes a silly comment on Person B, they freeze, looking around, and call out in confusion. Person B is the only one for centuries on to hear Person A. Person B can only hear Person A, and they have long conversations, and eventually A falls for B, even though they know it'll never work. How Person B gets Person A out of the mirror for the first time is up to you._

This prompt was one I saw weeks ago and it would not leave me alone, so I had to write it down. Not sure if it'll be a full-blown story or not, hence why this chapter's short. Also, it's a modern-day magic fantasy, which'll be interesting for me to write, as I've never actually seen any fantasy AUs in the Top Cat fandom.

I hope you guys enjoy this story, and let me know what you think!

* * *

 **Prologue**

Darkness greeted Top Cat when he awoke from his impromptu nap. It was so dark that he almost thought he was sleeping again, but that was when he saw the void in front of him, lined with ivory white light, and that convinced him otherwise.

He sighed, wishing that he had remained asleep. Sleeping would be a better alternative to staying awake and waiting hopelessly for anybody to arrive. Nobody had come in this storage room for years. The mirror had been placed inside, as the owner claimed that he didn't need it anymore.

To be honest, he shouldn't have counted on him for help anyway. He had been way too caught up in his vanity to really care about anything else. Even if he was somehow able to hear him, he probably would have had him complimenting his various outfits...which, in his opinion, looked pretty dreadful. Then again, he didn't need any outfits to look dreadful, since the man himself was _not_ good-looking, at all.

Top Cat knew that he should be used to it by now: the people that bought this mirror were just ordinary mundanes, folks who were going about their normal lives. They didn't believe in mirrors containing prisoners from centuries ago, or alternate dimensions. If they heard it, they would likely dismiss it as part of someone's imagination. Nobody would be able to hear him, no matter how loud he yelled or what he did to get their attention. All he could do was watch as they checked themselves out in the mirror, admiring themselves in their outfits, until the mirror was given away to someone else, and then it'd start all over again. That's how it'd been going for over four centuries.

And yet, he couldn't help but hope. A small part of him dared to believe that someday, someone would be able to hear him and get him out of here, even though the person who'd trapped him told him that the chances of his escape were slim.

Maybe there was a slim chance he'd get out. But a slim chance was better than no chance at all.

* * *

 **Story Title:** Mirror, Mirror

 **Genre/Tags:** AU/Fantasy/Romance/Mystery

 **Rating:K+**

 **Summary:** When Trixie purchases a full-body mirror for her new walk-in closet, she hardly expects to hear it talk to her, let alone for someone to be trapped inside of it. The person in the mirror, Top Cat, has been trapped inside for over four centuries with no way of getting out of it. As Trixie is the only person who can hear him, Top Cat appeals to her to free him. An unlikely friendship forms between them, but will obstacles and demons of the past keep them from being more than that? Modern day fantasy AU, and Top Cat/Trixie.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters in Top Cat, save any original characters that might pop up.

* * *

 **Mirror, Mirror**

 **Part 1: Here We Go Again**

 **Downtown Manhattan  
**

 **Spacely Townhouses**

Trixie LaRue was, beneath her brisk and business like nature, a somewhat extravagant girl. She preferred to use "more than enough" to describe the amount of her clothes, but one would be tempted to disagree when they saw her collection of shoes, purses and clothes. Due to her successful career as a reporter, she had been able to travel to many countries around the world: Italy, France, England, China, Russia, you name it. And whenever she went to these countries, she always brought back a souvenir.

And by a "souvenir", she meant several bags of foreign clothes and shoes. And due to her job, that meant she was buying over a hundred bags, which slowly started to pile up in her small closet until she could barely walk in it.

Her response had been to hire someone to come and remodel her small closet into a large walk-in closet that would hold enough space for all of her clothes and shoes, and then room for a full-body mirror. She had to cash in most of her check in order to get it, but she was pleased with the result. No more stumbling over shoes. No more having to scour the whole house for lost items. She now had everything in one place.

As she was surveying her new closet, someone piped up behind her, "Now you can stop asking me for extra closet space."

Trixie turned to see her best friend and roommate, Chloe, leaning against the door of her room. Chloe was a Siamese cat who was slightly shorter than her, but still proved to be quite a troublemaker. Her blue eyes suggested something other than mischief this time, however.

"I know you must be happy about that," Trixie said. "So, what are you thinking of?"

"I'm thinking of looking for a mirror you can use," Chloe replied. "You know, one of those full-body mirrors."

"Those are kind of expensive. And I've already used up most of my month's paycheck to pay for the renovations," Trixie said.

"Last time I checked, you weren't this concerned with money when you were buying all of this stuff," Chloe pointed out.

"Point taken," Trixie replied, giggling. "But where are we going to find full-body sized mirrors in this part of the city?"

"Well, the last place I checked was at this furniture shop called Strickland's," Chloe replied. "Apparently, the owner's going out of business, so he's holding one of those 'everything must go' sales. That shop has nearly everything, including full-sized body mirrors."

Trixie considered this for a moment. "Well, since bankruptcy sales mean you get a lot of things at a discount, I guess it wouldn't hurt to go."

"Perfect!" Chloe said, clapping her paws together. "There are also a few things I'm hoping to snag for myself."

"I figured you were going to say that," Trixie said, walking over to get her purse.

"Hey, you can't be the only one who gets to go on shopping sprees, Trix."

* * *

 **Strickland's Furniture**

Lou Strickland watched as his employees pulled out the last bit of furniture from the storage room. "Make sure you place those where people can see them!" he said. "I want everything out of this store by next week!"

As he surveyed everything, he couldn't help but think to himself that this really was his last hurrah. He'd been making a fortune off of these people for years, selling handmade, quality furniture that his grandfather had crafted years before. His heyday was back in the nineties, where nearly all of New York raved about his furniture. Sales had tripled back then, and he had even done a few interviews with then-popular talk shows.

But now with the economy in its current state, people were spending their money on more essentials than furniture. And like many furniture stores across the country, Strickland found himself losing money. Despite his best efforts to recuperate, he decided that he would have to end the family business, hence why he was holding his bankruptcy sale.

There were a few items he'd wanted to keep for himself, however, especially the full-body mirror that he'd kept inside the storage room. It was something that his grandfather had given to him as part of his inheritance, as he knew how much his grandson loved to look at himself in the mirror. Even now, when nobody was there, Lou would spend countless hours in front of the mirror showing off and complimenting himself.

His grandfather had told him a story where someone had been sealed away in that mirror for going back on a deal in order to save his best friend. That person was doomed to stay inside that mirror for all eternity, to roam from time to time and watch the world change from inside a dimension. His grandfather had told him that this was the very mirror in which that person had been sealed in. It had, of course, proved to be a fairy tale, but he still kept the mirror around, mostly because of its sentimental value.

But now, he realized he couldn't keep everything forever. That was why he had ordered everything to be removed from the storage room, including said mirror.

Satisfied with how everything was arranged, he made his way to the front, where already a few people were starting to head inside.

 _So far, so good,_ he thought to himself. He strode over to the two prospective buyers, both of them female cats. "Welcome to Strickland's! You've tried the rest, now go with the best!" he said. "How may I help you today?"

Both of them looked to be somewhat taken aback by his sudden appearance. He couldn't help but smirk. _The ladies, of course, can't resist this piece of hot property._

"Well," the feline with the red hair started, "we're looking for some more pieces to go with our townhouse."

"Yeah," the Siamese chimed in. "We're both remodeling our bedrooms."

"So, what kind of pieces are you looking for? Bedframes, nightstands, dressers?" Lou replied.

"I'm looking for a new dresser," the Siamese chimed in. "Trixie here," she motioned to her friend. "is looking for a mirror to go inside her new closet."

"Yeah," Trixie replied.

 _Perfect_ , Lou thought. "Well, if it's a mirror you want, it's a mirror you'll get! We have several selections of mirrors available," he said, "but our most popular appears to be our full-body mirrors."

He strode over to the other section of the room, where there were several full-body mirrors already set up. Trixie's eyes wandered until she saw one: a tall one with ivory-colored wood. She could tell just from looking at it that it had been kept in good condition. She nodded in approval as she assessed it.

"Oh, I see you've taken a liking to this antique," Strickland said, standing behind Trixie. "This used to belong to my grandfather, and he gave it to me as part of my inheritance after he passed. I used to use this mirror a lot, but I figured now would be a good time to part with it, since I left it in the back of the storage room for goodness knows how long."

"It's perfect for my new closet," Trixie said, looking it up and down.

"It suits you perfectly, Trix," Chloe added. "Now you can stay in your closet all day long, trying on clothes like the diva you are."

Trixie laughed. "Very funny," she said. She then turned to Strickland. "So, how much is this mirror anyway."

Lou smiled. This was his favorite part of his job. "Well, seeing as it's a bankruptcy sale, I'm willing to part with it for only $100."

Trixie's eyes widened in surprise. A hundred bucks didn't sound too bad. She then pulled out her wallet. "I'll take it."

Lou Strickland smiled. "I knew you couldn't resist it," he said.

* * *

"Okay, that had to be the ugliest human I've ever seen," Chloe said as they left the store. "I'm surprised that mirror didn't break already."

Trixie turned towards her friend with a look of shock. "Chloe! Can't you be a little polite?"

"Hey, I'm telling it like it is!" Chloe said. "I know for certain you didn't find him good-looking."

"I'll agree with you on him being ugly, though," Trixie said. "I've seen better looking humans than him."

"Speaking of good-looking humans," Chloe said, her smile turning sly, "what happened between you and super cute Josh?"

Trixie sighed. It was times like these where she wished she didn't tell her friend about her love life. Simply, she said, "Well, I did what you said. I went up to him and told him that I liked him."

"And? What did he say?" Chloe asked, her eyes wide.

"He said that he's not into cats," Trixie said. "Also, that even if he was, I'm not his type."

"Oh...oh, Trix," Chloe said, her tone sad. "I'm sorry to hear about that. I know how much you liked him."

"Yeah...well, that's what happens when you wait until five years after high school to tell them how you feel," Trixie said. Her tone was meant to be self-derisive, but it came off as bitter instead.

"Enough of that, Trix," Chloe said. "I'm not gonna have you beat yourself up because of a failed relationship attempt. You deserve to be happy with someone. Apparently, that someone isn't Josh."

Trixie offered a small smile in response to her friend's statement. "You really think so?"

"Yeah! Besides, I would've told you to find a cute tomcat instead," Chloe said. "There are some really decent ones around here. My only advice is to not fall for the ones who think that they're all big and bad. Trust me, it's not worth it in the end."

Trixie smiled. "Thanks for the advice, Chloe," she said. "Although...I find it odd that you're the one giving me that kind of advice. If I recall, you were all over bad boys when we were in school."

"That was _high school_ , Trixie," Chloe retorted. "I've matured since then."

"So you say."

"Hey!"

* * *

A few days later, Trixie woke up to the sound of loud honking outside. She almost toppled out of her bed as she raced to answer it, only to hear Chloe's footsteps race ahead of hers.

The front door flung open, and an irritable Chloe demanded, "What business do you have comin' over here, at eight in the morning, no less, scarin' the fur off of people?"

Trixie sighed, knowing she had to intervene then. Chloe was not a morning person in any sense of the term, and she tended to be trigger-happy whenever her sleep was interrupted. She made her way down the hall to see Chloe glaring up at the delivery man, who looked slightly cowed. He apparently hadn't expected to encounter a grouchy cat as soon as she opened the door.

"I-I've got a delivery for a Trixie LaRue," he started, clearing his throat to regain his composure, "from Strickland's Furniture."

"That would be me," Trixie said, smoothly stepping into the situation.

"Sorry for comin' at a bad time," he said, looking over at Chloe. "I've got deliveries to make all over the city today, and since this thing is fragile, I figured I'd better drop this off first."

"I understand," she said. "But next time, please find a...quieter way to let people know that you've arrived."

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind," the man said. He then turned to two other men, who were unloading the mirror from the back. "Just bring it right in, guys!" He turned towards Trixie. "Where exactly are we putting this, Miss LaRue?"

"In my upstairs closet," Trixie answered. "I'll show you."

Ten minutes later, Trixie was standing in her closet gazing at the full body mirror. Chloe was right; this mirror was perfect for her room. She really wanted to spend her afternoon trying on her newest outfit, but knew that she couldn't and that she had to go to work soon. Chloe had already left for her shift at the local coffee shop, realizing that it was nearly time for her to clock in.

"Well, I have a few minutes to shower before I head to work," she said. She then looked at the mirror. "I can't wait to start using this."

And with that, she grabbed her work outfit, headed to her drawer to get her underwear, and headed to the bathroom to shower.

* * *

Top Cat watched as Trixie disappeared around the corner, feeling both intrigued and despaired at the same time. She was a step up from Strickland, that much he had to give her. And he could tell that there was more to her than just her clothes. She didn't seem to be vain, or as vain as Strickland had been. She was just a modern-day trendy fashionista.

But just as he thought, she was just a normal mundane like everyone else before her. At this rate, he was never going to get out of here. He wished that there were some sort of spell that he could use to get out of there.

He had the feeling that there probably was...but his memory was clouded. All he could remember was being sealed away and the person telling him that he would never get out, unless he met "the special one" who'd be able to hear him and had the powers to release him. For four centuries, he had searched all over for this person, but his search had turned out to be in vain.

He sighed as she came back in from her shower, her hair somewhat wet around the sides. She was now wearing a mauve-colored business suit with a purple dress shirt with a low neckline, but not so low that he wasn't seeing anything he wasn't supposed to see. She slid into a pair of matching high heels, and then came in front of the mirror, posing in front of it with her body to the side and one leg tilted back. As she adjusted her clothes, he couldn't help but notice her slightly curvaceous figure showing through the suit.

 _Man, I really struck out on this one,_ he thought. _I'm trapped in a mirror while I've got a really pretty cat posing in front of me._

"Well, this should be good for now," she said. "Better get to work, before the boss yells at me again."

With that, she turned off the lights to the closet and closed the door, leaving Top Cat in the dark.

He sighed, the despair that had been nibbling at him earlier overtaking him. "Here we go again," he mumbled.

 **END OF PART 1**

* * *

So, how was that so far? Granted, it's a little shorter than my other beginning chapters (which tend to be over 5,000 words or more), but I didn't want to bog the story down with a lot of meaningless filler; plus, this was an experiment. Things were kind of slow in this chapter, but things will pick up next chapter. I have half of an outline written out for this story, and I'm thinking of making it ten chapters as well. Once again, I'm starting another story without finishing some of my other stuff...sigh. Old habits die hard, I guess..

Trixie's last name is a reference to my H-B High School AU fics that focus on her and T.C., and it's a reference to the cat that Top Cat falls in love with in "T.C. Falls in Love".

I hope you enjoyed this (relatively short) first chapter!

 _God bless, iheartgod175_


	2. Part 2: A Glimmer of Hope

**A/N:** Here is chapter 2 of _Mirror, Mirror._ As I promised last chapter, this is going to be where things pick up, as compared to the first chapter. T.C. won't be coming back until near the end of the chapter; in fact, there was a scene that I had left as a preview for you people, but I decided to axe it because it would spoil the surprise. And yes, there are other H-B characters and cameos in this story, but they won't play much of a role other than a supporting cast.

 **Disclaimer:** I own none of the characters that are in this story (except the original ones), or make cameos in this chapter.

* * *

 **Mirror, Mirror**

 **Part 2: A Glimmer of Hope**

 **Global Weekly  
**

When Trixie walked into the office that morning, she found herself coming upon an amusing scene. One of her fellow journalists, a bespectacled man named Sherman, was talking excitedly to Snagglepuss, who seemed much more interested in the celebrity magazine than what Sherman was saying.

Trixie found the reason why soon enough. "And you see, they got the whole story wrong!" Sherman was explaining. "Everyone knows that the cat that was trapped in the mirror was sealed away because he ruined someone else's plans, not because he was saving somebody."

"Heavens to annoyances, you're distracting me from this story!" Snagglepuss finally looked up to face Sherman, looking somewhat irritated.

"S-Sorry, Snag," Sherman said. "It's just...nobody listens to me when I talk about things like this. Nobody really cares."

"Well, when you're obsessed with a fairy tale from over four hundred years ago, you can't blame them," another journalist said. "It's a bunch of nonsense, if you ask me."

"It's not nonsense!" Sherman said, getting defensive. "You're just bitter because I discovered it before you did."

"Yeah, right."

Trixie sighed as she stepped into the room. "Alright, break it up, boys," she chided. "No need to get too fussy first thing in the morning."

"Sorry, Boss," Sherman said, smiling lopsidedly.

Trixie rolled her eyes, but only in jest. "Boss" was the nickname that the staff (most of which she had known through high school) had coined for her; even though she wasn't really their boss, she tended to be quite commanding when it came to getting a story or any other sort of news. In some ways, she was a lot more effective in getting the staff to do their job than their actual boss.

"So, what do we have?" Trixie asked.

Sherman pushed up his glasses. "Well, to be honest, it would be the same old, same old," he said. "There's been another murder."

"That's nothing new," someone scoffed. "People get murdered all the time."

"But this murder is different," Sherman said. "It's brutal, from what a lot of witnesses were saying. The guy was completely mutilated."

Trixie grimaced. "That's horrible," she said. "have the police released any details yet?"

"They're still investigating," Sherman said. "But the murderer left something very interesting at the crime scene. Written on the wall in blood was a name: the 'Wicked Eye', or something like that. It doesn't sound like someone's actual name."

"It could be a secret identity," Snagglepuss suggested. "An alter ego, even!"

"Even so, that's just bizarre for a murderer to name himself that," Trixie said.

"You know what I think? I think he named himself after the villains in that story," Sherman said. "The Wicked Eye is actually a group of men who called themselves wizards. They brutally kill anybody who gets in their way."

"Let me guess; they're the main villains in _The Cat in the Mirror_ , right?" Trixie asked.

Sherman paused, right before sheepishly admitting, "Yeah..."

"Everything in this world doesn't come from that story, Sherm." One of the employees, a fair skinned blond man who looked to be in his twenties, turned towards his co-worker with a smirk. "I think this story is just what we need to get your head out of the clouds."

Sherman's features curled downwards into a frown at this. "Even if that's the case...you can't say that it's a coincidence that this guy named himself after the group of villains in _The Cat in the Mirror,_ Freddy," he said.

"The guy could've been too obsessed with that story," Trixie said, "and he took his obsession too far. There are murderers who have done that."

"What are we, a detective organization?" Freddy asked.

"Well, you used to be a teenaged super sleuth, Freddy," Trixie said.

"Yeah, well, solving mysteries doesn't keep the bills off the table," Fred said. "My dad told me to find something that works out or I'm moving out. Hence why I'm here."

Trixie was about to say more, but that was when the doors opened and their diminutive boss walked in. With a cigar in his mouth and a disapproving frown on his face, Mr. Spacely surveyed his employees, who were all scrambling about and trying to look busy.

"Alright, you all! Get back to work! I want this murder story all over 5th Avenue by this afternoon!" he said. "Trixie, I'm putting you in charge of making sure everyone stays on task!"

"You've got it, sir," Trixie said. "Nobody's going to slack off on my watch."

The rest of the day went as normal, with everyone busy and bustling about. Nobody brought up the connection to _The Cat in the Mirror_ again.

* * *

"I'm glad we got that story finished," Snagglepuss said. He and the rest of the employees were in the break room, eating lunch. "I hate it. Whoever is responsible deserves to be locked behind bars! For life, even!"

"With a crime like this, he will be," Trixie said. "The thing is, this guy vanished without a trace. We don't know where he could be, or if he's killed more people, or if he really is a fairy tale fanatic like Sherman suggested."

"I think you mean 'like Sherman is'," Freddy teased.

The man in question was reading a copy of _The Tales of the Funky Phantom_ while eating a candy bar. He gave a mock scowl to Fred. "Look at me, I'm practically dying of laughter," he said.

"Okay, enough about work," Snag said. "What plans do you all have this weekend?"

"I'm going to a party with some of my high school friends," Fred said. "Last time I've talked to them was six months before I got this job."

"Is your girlfriend Daphne gonna be there?" Sherman asked, a teasing smirk on his face.

"Yes, Sherman, she is," Fred said, rolling his eyes. "I don't know why you like to tease me about her."

"Well, Fred, you two are just as subtle as a flying hammer," Trixie replied. "We should know. We saw you two after work."

Fred's face went slightly red at this an everyone laughed. He then coughed and said, "You guys weren't supposed to see that! That's intruding on privacy!"

"You intrude on everyone else's, Fred," Snag said.

"Says the person who always asks for details on everyone's love life," Fred said. "Speaking of which, are you seeing anybody?"

"I am," Snagglepuss said.

This got a gasp of surprise from everybody. Despite prodding others about the subject, Snagglepuss was known for being intensely private about his love life. The only thing they had wrestled out of him was that he had dated a girl in high school, a pink lioness named Lila, but their relationship had ended badly.

"Who is it?" Trixie asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Snagglepuss said, getting groans out of everybody. They should've known that he wouldn't spill secrets that easily. He turned towards Trixie. "So, Trixie, that leaves you. Are you currently seeing anybody?"

"I notice nobody bothered to ask me!" Sherman said.

"We all know you have a girlfriend, Sherman," Trixie said. "And to be honest, I'm actually not seeing anybody."

"What about that guy that you told us about in high school?" Fred asked.

Trixie sighed. "He doesn't like me in that way..."

"Heavens to heartbreaking, that's horrible! Tragic, even!" Snagglepuss cried.

"Well, to be honest, I knew Josh back in high school," Fred said. "He's not the kind of person you'd want to go out with anyway, Trixie."

"How do you know this, Fred?" Sherman asked.

"Daph dated him in high school," Fred said, frowning.

"Oh..." Sherman decided not to press on the subject.

Snagglepuss turned to face Trixie, who looked disappointed "Hey, Trixie, if there's anything we can do-"

"No, it's okay, boys, really," she said. "I just happen to have a bad habit of looking for love in all the wrong places."

Nobody looked convinced by her explanation, but Sherman said, "Well, if you say so, Trixie. We just want to make sure you're happy, you know?"

"Thanks, guys. I really do appreciate it," Trixie said. "There's always a next time, I guess..."

The doors to the break room opened and a blue-furred coonhound with a blue hat walked in. "'Scuse me, guys," he started, "but I reckon that lunch has been over for ten minutes now."

"Indeed, it has!" Snagglepuss said looking up at the clock.

"Man, Spacely's gonna kills if we don't get back to work," Sherman said.

With that, the four of them made their way back to the break room. While everyone was chatting it up about their social lives and what not, Trixie was left to her own thoughts. She pondered mostly on what had happened with Josh, and her words when she'd tried to convince her friends that they didn't need to worry about her.

 _"There's always a next time, I guess."_

But as she made her way into the work room, she couldn't help but feel as though she'd lied. There probably wouldn't be a next time, given that she'd turned down a lot of people in high school, and she was too busy with her career to focus on love anyway.

"Trixie?" Fred's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Did you hear anything I just said?"

Trixie shook her head and groaned. "Sorry, Freddy," she replied. "I'm really out of it today."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Fred asked.

"Really, I'll be fine," Trixie said, putting on her best 'don't worry about me' smile. "Now, back to work, or else we face the wrath of Spacely again."

* * *

Chloe was already there when Trixie arrived from work later that afternoon, tired and beat. She came into the foyer, where Trixie was hanging her coat on the coat rack. "Wow, you look drained," she said. "Tough day, huh?"

"You have no idea," Trixie said. "The story we worked on today got a whole bunch of leads as soon as we came back from lunch. Trying to write up the story and organize the details took a lot of our time."

"Sheesh, sounds bad. I think they mentioned it on the news, though," Chloe said. "Somethin' about a group called the 'Wicked Eye'." She snorted. "Pretty ridiculous name, if you ask me."

"Yeah. Everyone on the staff was trying to come up with all sorts of theories," Trixie said. "Sherman's was by far the craziest."

"When is that breaking news?" Chloe asked. "You've told me before that you've had to keep your eye on Sherman."

"Well, he said something about this group named the Wicked Eye reminds him of that old fairytale he's obsessed with," Trixie said. "He believes that they're actually wizards."

"Wizards? Ha!" Chloe couldn't help but snort. "That's definitely a new one! Everyone knows wizards don't exist."

"That's what we keep trying to tell him," Trixie said. "But trying to explain that to him is like talking to a brick wall."

"Yeah, you've told me that before," Chloe said. "Which reminds me, I'm going to be heading out on a date tonight."

"Let's hope this goes better than the last online date," Trixie giggled.

Chloe put on a mock frown. "We swore to never speak of that again," she warned.

"Alright, alright, I got the message. Well, I'll be upstairs taking a shower," Trixie said. "After that, it's Chinese takeout for me."

"Alright. Enjoy your night at home, Trix."

"I sure will," Trixie said as she climbed up the stairs. Even though it was only Monday, she still felt like she had worked all week long. She hadn't wanted to tell Chloe about her conversation with the rest of the men at work; that would only bring on another "don't worry, there's always a next time" speech. And she was really, really not in the mood to hear that right now. She decided that she'd have to wear a shirt that announced that she'd been rejected in order to avoid having to explain everything again.

As she entered her bathroom, she thought about her other doomed romances. One cat, a smooth-talking hipster named Jazz, had left her for another cat. There was another cat by the name of Fancy-Fancy, but he was a womanizer who hit on just about any girl that came within five feet of him. And then there was A.T., short for "All That". Their relationship had been the most rocky one yet; he had been too concerned with his image, and she wasn't fond of his lifestyle.

 _I was right. I really_ do _have a bad habit of looking for love in all the wrong places,_ she thought as she stepped in the shower.

* * *

 _This is startin' to drive me insane,_ Top Cat thought. The constant waiting for anything to happen was starting to drive him nuts. He'd slept for half of the day and awoke to find that nothing had changed. He crossed his arms, feeling both impatient and annoyed. If this girl turned out to be just like Strickland, he was going to rip his fur out of his skull.

The closet doors opened and Trixie walked in, her modesty covered by a blue bath towel. Top Cat sighed at this reminder of how bad this situation was; every once in a while there would be a drop-dead gorgeous girl who would take the mirror, and he would have to sit and watch while she posed in front of the mirror. It would take all of his willpower not to drool like an idiot at such things. And while Trixie wasn't nearly as gorgeous as some of the girls he'd seen, she wasn't too bad to look at, either.

Right now, though, she looked spent from her day at work, and as she picked out a set of casual clothes from the hangar, she turned around to face the mirror directly. It was then that Top Cat noticed that her eyes were slightly redder than they had been earlier that day.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall," she said, "who's the most tired of them all?" A wry smile played across her lips as she said that, and she laughed at herself. "I'm pretty sure I would be the most tired of them all."

Top Cat was also surprised by this as well. Just from looking at her, he couldn't believe that she was the type of person who would ask a question like that. However, he wasn't about to pass up on this opportunity to be free from boredom. So, without thinking, he smugly replied, "I'd have to agree. You would be the uncontested winner."

The clothes Trixie had been holding hit the floor. Looking startled, she looked around her closet space, as if looking for something or someone.

"Chloe, if you're doing an impersonation of that cat down the street, it's not funny!" she said, turning towards her bedroom.

This reaction gave Top Cat pause. He'd figured as soon as she had purchased this mirror that she was just an ordinary she-cat who was grounded in reality like everyone else. But seeing her react the way she did was giving him an idea.

Now it was just time for him to test it.

Clearing his throat, he tried again with, "Are you looking for me?"

Trixie jumped, and that confirmed Top Cat's suspicions. He couldn't have hidden the surprise on his face if he tried. _She can hear me? I never thought that out of all the people in the world, she'd be able to hear me!_

Trixie took a step towards the mirror, looking nervous. Her stomach was doing backflips. "Did...did I just hear a voice from the mirror?" she asked herself.

Top Cat thought for a moment on what he was going to say. If he said anything else, she would probably run away in terror. But if he didn't, he would lose his one chance to get free. What else could he do? If she was the only chance he had at ever getting free, he had to take it.

"Okay, this is starting to worry me," Trixie said, backing out of her closet.

Something desperate took over Top Cat then. With a lunge, he thrust himself towards the edge of the portal, only to rebound slightly against the edge of it. After rubbing his forehead, he said, "Hey, wait! Don't go! I need to talk to ya about-"

Whatever else he'd been about to say was drowned out by Trixie's scream. She scrambled out of the closet, her face as white as a ghost, and slammed the door shut, not even bothering to turn the light off. Even from inside the mirror, he could hear her hyperventilating.

Top Cat cursed. "Great. Now I've gone and sent her into a panic attack," he groaned. "I just had the faintest glimmer of hope that I'd get outta here, and now it's gone..."

* * *

Trixie could still hear the voice from outside the closet, which only served to make her heart race even faster. Part of her wanted to erase what had just happened from her mind. Voices didn't come out of nowhere trying to make contact with people, unless one lived in a haunted house and there were spirits roaming it. At that thought, Trixie had to slap herself in the forehead. If anything, her townhouse was definitely _not_ haunted. She and Chloe would've moved out ages ago if it was.

But that still didn't explain what she had just heard...or what she had seen, either. Just as she thought that she had really been hallucinating from a lack of sleep, a cat had hurled himself towards the mirror, appearing to have collided against it. She didn't get a very good look at him; all she got before she'd run out of the closet was that he had bright yellow fur, and a desperate look in his eyes. It was almost as if he was trapped, and that he needed to get out.

But how the heck did he get trapped inside a mirror? _How_ does a person get trapped inside a mirror, anyway? The story _The Cat in the Mirror_ quickly came to mind, but she shook that off. Wizards and spells weren't real. People being trapped in mirrors weren't real. It was all just a fantasy, nothing more.

But if that was the case, then she shouldn't be feeling as though the story were real.

By the time Trixie had risen from the floor, the voice had stopped talking. She had half a mind to walk back inside and demand answers, to find out just what was going on. But remembering the desperation in that cat's eyes made her think twice. For all she knew, he could try to kill her as soon as he got out, or ask her to do something horrible in order to free him.

She sighed as she walked over to her dresser, yanked out a shirt and a pair of sweats, and yanked them on. "Trixie, you need to get some sleep. When you wake up, this'll all be a dream..."

 **END OF PART 2**

* * *

Super sorry about this late chapter, people. Moving is annoying-and I'm still moving even as I type this. I didn't think it would take this long. I'll be busy with school projects and stuff, so this update and the third chapter of _Have Guitar, Will Travel_ will probably be the last update I have in a while. As soon as things settle down, I'll get back to my other stuff.

So, as I promised, things do pick up with this chapter. Here we find Trixie learning that not only can she hear T.C., but she can also see him too. I wonder how she'll take this, seeing as she doesn't believe in fantasy. And even though T.C. seemed a little OOC in the end, if I were trapped in a mirror for over four hundred centuries with nobody to hear you, and someone has the ability to hear you, I think I would be desperate to get their attention as well. And the cameos were just as fun to write. And I personally think that Snag would be private about his love life if he were in a modern AU.

And since the big surprise is over with, I'll leave you with a preview for the next chapter!

 _Trixie sighed as she opened the door to her closet. She hadn't opened it since last night, half worried that the cat in the mirror would try to talk to her again. As worried as she was, there was no stopping her curiosity. The voice had been nagging at her all day, keeping her from concentrating on her work. If she was going to get her answers, she had to do it now._

 _She sighed. "Here's to hoping my curiosity won't get me killed," she said, stepping inside and turning on the light..._

See you around next chapter!

God bless, iheartgod175


	3. Part 3: Desperation

**A/N:** Even though I haven't written anything on T.C./Trixie in a while, I had some inspiration to come back to this story after I finished exams. So, that means time for chapter number 3!

 **Disclaimer:** I own the original characters that appear.

* * *

 **Mirror, Mirror**

 **Part 3: Desperation  
**

Morning came a bit too soon for Trixie. She would've been content to sleep in all morning, slapping the 'snooze' button on her alarm clock as many times as she wished, but Chloe wasn't going to let that happen. Around the third time she'd hit the snooze button, Chloe had walked in and shut the clock off, followed by yanking the covers off of Trixie's bed. The Siamese faced her friend with a mock glare.

"And you keep telling me not to sleep in," she said. "Come on, lazy bones. You could at least make the effort to get out of bed."

Trixie groaned and rubbed her eyes. It was then that Chloe noticed how tired her friend looked, and her glare melted into concern.

"Whoa. You look drained," she said. "Looks like you're gonna need two cappuccinos if you're gonna be alert at work."

"Three, if I plan on getting this story done," Trixie said. She slid her legs over to the edge and allowed her feet to hit the ground. "I'll get ready while you can make the coffee."

Chloe sighed. "Sure thing, Trix." With another look at her friend, she was gone.

Trixie let out a sigh of her own. She was just relieved that Chloe hadn't been home when she'd seen-

 _The cat in the mirror_ , she thought. The cat that had suddenly appeared in her full-sized mirror had haunted her dreams all night long, resulting in her tired state. She'd dreamt that he'd broken out of the mirror and then came towards her with his claws outstretched, ready to claw her to pieces for getting in his way. Another dream she'd had, not long after she'd recovered from that nightmare, was one with a group of strange people in dark, hooded garbs surrounding her, blue and white eyes on the backs of their cloaks and their hands alight with blue fire. She had been launched backwards, and the whole room had suddenly started to go black. She had thought she'd died until she'd heard the cat say, "Well, looks like we're stuck in here together."

She wished she could say that it had all been a dream...but the way he had sounded was so real and desperate that she couldn't just get rid of it. She wondered for a moment if he was a ghost, trapped in a certain place and left to wander, never to rest, until someone helped him to achieve it. If he were a ghost, however, wouldn't he have phased through the mirror instead of hitting his head against it? And then there was the issue with how he looked more lifelike than a ghost was supposed to.

She groaned as she grabbed her clothes out of her drawer and went to shut the door. Who was she to make up such theories? While she knew a good bit about ghosts and what they were like, she certainly didn't _believe_ in them. The paranormal and the supernatural was meant for other people-people like Sherman, who would be inclined to believe in just about anything. To her, the paranormal was just something that people used to spook others. Fantasy, to entertain.

She took a look towards her closet, and shook her head. It was a good thing that today was dress casual day; it gave her a good excuse to not go inside the closet and confront this mysterious cat whose very existence challenged her worldview. After changing her clothes, she slipped on her flip-flops, which were right near the closet door and tossed her balled up shirt and sweats in the open drawer. It bounced off and hit the floor in a messy pile, but she didn't care at the moment.

She went to the door to find Chloe standing there, holding two cappuccinos and dressed in her work uniform. She pouted at Trixie's choice of clothes. "Lucky you. I've gotta put up with this ugly thing five days a week," she said.

Trixie laughed as she closed the door to her room and accepted a cup. "I can kind of understand why they'd put uniforms at your job," she answered. "Knowing you, you would've been late three times a week trying to decide on what to wear."

"Ha ha. Very funny, Trix," Chloe said. "But at least I don't buy up half of New York City."

"Touche," she replied. "So, how was your evening? I didn't get to ask you since I went to bed early."

Chloe groaned. "Do you really wanna know?" she said. "I mean, the first sign that things were gonna go wrong was when the guy showed up, like twenty minutes late. Word of advice: never date a guy based off of his profile picture online. They sometimes never look like that in real life."

Trixie laughed as Chloe continued with her story of her bad night out. The thought of the cat from earlier danced at her mind for a bit, but she nudged it away. Now was not the time for that. Today was the day she returned to her normal life, and put that strange occurrence behind her.

* * *

Morning had come a bit too soon for Top Cat as well, having just fallen asleep before he heard Chloe, Trixie's roommate and friend, come into the room to wake her up. He was a little grumpy, mostly because he hadn't been able to catch Trixie before she left for work.

Well, then again, it wasn't like he'd be able to catch her anyway-not since he scared her last night. He groaned upon remembering that. "T.C., you've gotta stop makin' rash decisions like that," he said. He'd have to control himself a lot better in the future. The last thing he needed was to have Trixie think that he was a maniac.

He didn't know how she would take his story, though. She appeared to be the type who thought that things like his own situation weren't real. He had been just like her, too, four hundred years ago-he'd thought that the people who'd claimed to be 'wizards' were just ordinary guys with big egos who wanted to make a few quick bucks by fooling people.

Leave it to him to play with fire and get burned.

He shook his head, blocking out the images of those men, with their cruel, maniacal smiles as they watched him sink into the mirror. But it was no use. He felt a chill wash over him, as it had that day when he'd been sealed, as he remembered the words the man had said.

 _"You will never meet the One who will set you free. That I can promise you."_

He let out a shaky breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Thankfully, the person who had cast this spell on him was dead and so were the rest of his ilk. He wouldn't have to see them ever again in his life.

But that also proved to be a bad thing. If Trixie didn't turn out to be the "One" as the wizard had claimed, then that meant the only person who knew the counterspell was dead and buried. And even if he was alive, it was highly unlikely that he'd free him anyway. The guy had a penchant for grudges.

That meant he was pinning all his hopes on a girl who knew nothing about magic, and probably wanted nothing to do with it, anyway.

Top Cat sighed as he closed his eyes. "Not exactly the most promising of situations, eh?"

* * *

"So, guys, who's ready to play detective agency again?" Sherman asked.

"Not me," Fred groaned, rubbing his temple. "This whole story's giving me a headache."

"You're not the only one, Freddy," Snagglepuss said. "The details are all mixed up, muddled, even!"

"There were new details that just came in?" Trixie asked, coming around the corner.

"Yeah," Fred said. "The witness that saw the attack is recanting their statement. When asked why, she didn't say."

"I bet she was scared into keeping quiet," Sherman said, scratching his chin. "Those kinds of things do happen."

"True," Trixie said, sliding into her chair. She turned to face her desk and sighed. "Spacely gave me the most work again, didn't he?"

Sherman chuckled. "It's what you get for being the boss' pet," he teased.

"Ha-ha," she replied. "Alright, boys, it's time for us to get back to work."

"Sure thing, Boss," Sherman said, sending a mock salute.

Everyone turned back around to face their paperwork, and Trixie smirked to herself in satisfaction. It was easy to get lost in the throes of paperwork, she mused, to get sucked into the details of the story. It took a lot of effort to get back into the task at hand, which was to figure out which details would have be edited out for the final version, and which ones were worth keeping in and would grab someone's attention.

The details of this murder were so interesting that she considered putting all of them in there, but she knew she couldn't. One, she wouldn't want to bore her readers. And two, Mr. Spacely wouldn't allow it.

Still, she couldn't help but give pause to one part of the story, where it mentioned that the alleged attacker had been wearing a black cloak. It brought her nightmare from last night to mind, where the men with cloaks had sealed her in the same mirror with that cat. She sighed. No matter what she tried, she just couldn't get him out of her mind, out of her thoughts. And she felt frustrated that she couldn't concentrate with him constantly at the edge of her thoughts.

"Hey, Trixie." Snagglepuss' voice called Trixie out of her thoughts. She looked over at the pink-pelted mountain lion, who looked at her with a concerned expression. "Are you okay? You seem dazed, out of it, distracted, even!"

Trixie gave him a small smile. "Oh, don't worry about me, Snagglepuss. I'm fine. I am a little bit tired, though. Stayed up binge-watching that new show last night."

"Well, you'd better get back to work, before Spacely gives you an earful," Fred said.

"Right," she replied. Being that she was extremely tired from last night, she was not in the mood for her boss's tirade. "Thanks for keeping me in check, guys."

"Having to keep Trixie in check?" Sherman said. "The wonders never cease."

Trixie couldn't help but giggle as she set about sorting out her notes. Her workmates' comments kept her from thinking about her problems...at least, for now.

* * *

 _Unknown part of New York City_

"You're starting to get sloppy in your work, Gilbert. One more mishap like that, and I may have to remove you from the mission."

A snort. "You think you can do better, old man Leopold?" The slender, bespectacled young man tsked as he pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose, smirking as he looked at the four men surrounding him in a circle. His green eyes narrowed. "I already told you that they would've squealed on us."

"Mostly because you revealed your secret too soon," the old man snapped. He locked eyes with the younger man, his gold eyes bright with fury. "Now they're starting to learn who we are. And if the wrong person were to discover us, they would wipe us out, as stated in the prophecies."

"I assume you're talking about the One, right?" Gilbert said.

"Yes."

Another dry chuckle came from Gilbert's throat. "I think we've eliminated all the candidates for that person over the last few years, haven't we? And if I recall, Alec," he said, turning to face a red-haired man with robes that had fire patterns on them, "you said that the probability of that person showing up was low."

"Indeed I did. And all of the candidates that we went after didn't have half the power that the One supposedly has."

"However?" Gilbert said, leaning forwards and tucking his hands into his navy blue jacket.

Alec sighed. "However, these recent crimes we've been carrying out could be piquing their interest. They're bound to discover us soon enough," he answered.

"What do you think we should do?" Leopold said.

"I suggest that we lie low," one of the other men said. "We need to wait until the public is finished reeling with shock before we go after more candidates."

"I agree, Reginald," Gilbert said, "but I also believe that we need to throw off suspicion. We need a way to distract them from the truth."

The men surrounding him looked at each other. Then Leopold focused on him, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What do you have in mind?"

"Consider it a way to make up for my past failures." Gilbert's smile was dangerous as he raised his head and looked at the old man snootily. "Give me a few hours and you'll see it on the news tomorrow night."

* * *

Trixie made her way inside her house with a sigh of relief. She was relieved that work had finally ended for the day. Although she didn't mind having extra work, this case was so exasperating that it literally made her head hurt. Her coworkers were just as tired as she was, and most of them had looked like the walking dead at the end of day.

She stepped into her darkened house, and she didn't have to look far to see that Chloe wasn't home. Normally, the Siamese got home earlier than she did, but she guessed that she was working late as well. After closing the door, she stepped out of her flip-flops, then shrugged off her light jacket and hung it up in the coat closet. She picked up her heels and made her way to her room, turning on a light switch on her way there. Instantly, the room was filled with amber light from the large overhead light in the living room.

She turned on the light to her own room, and started to set her shoes near her closet, but that was when she hesitated. She took a look at the heavy wooden door, her eyes narrowing. She didn't even know if he could see her through the door, but she had a hunch that someone was watching her, waiting for her next move. She wanted more than anything to step away from the closet, to put off investigating for another day. But if anything, she was no coward. She'd take things more cautiously than others, but she wasn't a coward. And this time, there was no running away.

Trixie sighed as she opened the door to her closet. She could feel the dread starting at the pit of her stomach and make its way to her throat. She didn't even know if she could even open her mouth to speak to this spectre in the mirror...if it really _was_ a ghost, for that matter.

But as worried as she was, her bookish side started to take over. How could someone be trapped inside a mirror? And why were they trapped inside? She wanted to analyze this situation from all angles, to question this cat until he had no more answers, and to get to the bottom of this mystery once and for all. This whole thing had haunted her last night and all day, and had contributed to her tiredness. If she was going to get her answers, she needed to get them now, before she changed her mind.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "Here's to hoping my curiosity won't get me killed." She then turned on the light and stepped inside, turning around to make sure that nobody was in the house.

"Don't worry. Nobody's here 'cept you and me."

The voice that entered the room stopped her in her tracks, and she felt her breath hitch. Slowly, she turned around to face the speaker, who at that moment was floating into view. She stared, frozen in place, as he stood before her, his gaze half-lidded and a self-assured smirk on his face.

Looking at him up close, Trixie could see that he was definitely from another time period than hers; his clothes were made up of a tattered purple vest over a white shirt, which was just as tattered. He had some dark spots running along his legs and arms, as though someone had lit him on fire in various places. His hair was messy and unkempt, and he had some a few bags under his eyes.

 _He must be an alley cat of some sort._ It took all it had in her to not make a face. _I only hope he'll tell me the truth when I ask him who he is..._

"So, you're the dame who took me outta Strickland's hands, huh? I must say, you're a definite improvement over him."

"Uh...thanks," Trixie said. "Although to be honest, anybody would be an improvement over him."

The cat laughed softly. "You've got that right." His smile faded slightly as he looked at her. "Well, I bet we're going to be in each other's company for a while. Until you can get me outta here, at least."

Trixie was puzzled. "Get you out of there? You mean to tell me...you're actually-"

 _"Alive? Yeah. I ended up gettin' the jackpot of eternal life by roamin' around in this mirror. And let me tell ya, it ain't all it's cracked up to be."_

Trixie paled. "Oh, goodness, that's awful. How exactly is that possible?"

 _"It's magic, sweetheart."_

Trixie almost wanted to laugh at that. Instead, she settled for a little smile. "Yeah, right. Magic."

He frowned. "I don't see what you're smilin' about, since I've been trapped in here for so long that I can barely keep track of the times anymore."

"I'm sorry, it's just...that's just one of the most ridiculous theories I've ever heard," she said. "Everyone knows that magic doesn't exist."

"To ordinary folks, it doesn't. But I know for a fact that it does," the cat said. "And it's nothin' to laugh about or play around with. It's like fire: ya play with it, and you're gonna get burned. In my case, I played with it and got burned badly."

Whatever mirth Trixie had felt was gone now. She stared at him, eyes wide with horror. "So, wizards and warlocks and all those other people...they're real?" she said.

"I'm pretty sure they are. I know for a fact that wizards are definitely real. One of 'em put me in here." The cat raised his paw when he saw Trixie about to protest. "And before ya say anythin', no, there isn't another explanation for this. Unless people found a way to imprison each other with science."

Trixie balked. "What? We don't have technology like that! Why would you even suggest that?"

"Well, how else am I gonna convince you that this ain't a trick of the eye?" the yellow cat sighed. "Look, I've been trapped in here for a good four hundred years. So you can see why I wanna get outta here, right?"

"I guess so." Upon seeing the cat's suspicious frown, she replied with, "Well, I just hope you didn't do anything that caused you to get stuck in there in the first place."

"I stuck my nose where it didn't belong," he said. "And they didn't like that."

His flippant tone gave the impression that there was way more to this story than he was telling her. _Whatever happened to him must've been beyond horrible..._ she thought. As curious as she was, the bitter, almost malevolent stare in his eyes made her think twice about asking further. Instead, she asked, "So, apparently, you need my help to get you out of this thing, right?"

"Yes."

"And how exactly am I going to do that?"

"If I knew, I'd tell ya," he said. "That's for you to find out."

"Really?" She looked up at him, unimpressed. "I'm supposed to free you when I don't have any powers whatsover?"

"I wouldn't say you don't have any powers. After all, if you can hear me-"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"It has to do with everything!" he argued. "Can many people claim that they hear voices comin' out of a mirror?"

"Of course not! People don't have those kind of abilities," Trixie countered.

"Except for certain types of people," he replied. He fixed her with a serious expression. "And I have reason ta believe that you fit that bill."

Trixie groaned and rubbed her temples in frustration. "Well, you know what, I don't know what to believe at this point."

"That can be dangerous, ya know," he said.

Trixie was about to ask about how that was dangerous, when the front door opened. Chloe's voice echoed all the way from the hallway. "Hey, Trix, I'm back."

Trixie could have breathed with relief. She turned to face the cat in the mirror. "Well, it looks like we're going to have to talk later, uh..."

The cat smirked slightly. "It's Top Cat. But ya can call me T.C., if you want," he said. "All my close friends do."

 _Oh great. He's one of_ those _cats,_ Trixie thought. "Well, _Top Cat_ , I'll have to talk to you some other time," she said. "If Chloe overhears, she'll start bothering me. And that'll raise a lot of questions."

Top Cat frowned. "Look, I still have a lot ta explain. But I'm not gonna dump all this on ya overnight," he answered, "even though I'd really like to get outta here."

"I can't blame you," Trixie replied. She knew that she might not be able to keep this promise, but she said, "And I'll look into this. I promise."

Top Cat still looked unsure, but that was when they heard footsteps approaching. "I guess Trix must be on the phone," Chloe said.

Trixie turned towards Top Cat and sighed. "I-I should go," she said, and before he could protest, she turned out the light and shut the door. A few seconds later, Chloe walked in, dressed in a camisole and blue sweatpants.

"Oh, hey there, Trix. Sorry about burstin' in; I didn't know you were on a phone call," she said.

"No problem, Chloe. I just finished not too long ago," Trixie lied.

"So, who was it? Was it that online date from a few months ago?" Chloe asked.

"Wha-No! Goodness, no," she said. "I was talking to someone else..."

"Oh, really? Who was it? Is he cute? Ugly?" Chloe pressed on.

"Chloe, he's a business client," Trixie said, making her way to the kitchen. "Nothing more."

"That's what you said about that other boy who wormed his way into your ice cold heart," Chloe remarked, before laughing.

Trixie sighed, though she couldn't help but smile. She could always count on Chloe to cheer her up whenever she had a day like this. And right then, she needed it. A couple of hours of bicker and banter with her best friend was just what she needed to take that conversation with Top Cat out of her mind. He had answered a few of her questions...but had left her with even more of them. And there was something about him that was making her wary of trusting him; he was keeping something from her, and it wouldn't be easy to wring that secret from him.

And that, above everything else, frustrated her most of all.

 **END OF PART 3**

* * *

Finally, I finished this chapter! I meant to have this out in December, but life happened, and I didn't get it done. I hope this chapter makes up for it!

This chapter is called "Desperation" for a reason: T.C.'s desperate to get out of his prison, and Trixie's desperate to keep her normal life and convince herself that magic and all isn't real. I originally called this chapter "The Special One", but I realized that it would spoil stuff for what's going to happen next chapter. So, yeah, next chapter will definitely go into why T.C.'s trapped in this mirror and just who the Wicked Eye is.

Oh, and I couldn't resist having T.C. flirt with Trixie there. I mean, he did it when he first met her in the movie, so I had to put in a reference somewhere.

I don't have any previews this time around, but stay tuned anyways!

God bless, iheartgod175


End file.
